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"Oh, I think I got his attention now," Cedric mused out loud to his team.
"Really? How surprising." Eunuch Wei deadpanned in sarcasm, rolling his eyes at him.
Obviously what Cedric did just now was bound to catch the attention of the Thunder Prince; he did after all clash with him. It would be surprising if the draconian just ignored Cedric after he blocked his attack.
Fwooosh!
It was then that they suddenly felt an overwhelming pulse of strength swarming their surroundings. Most of Cedric's teammates blanched when they felt the suffocating pressure coming from none other than the Thunder Prince.
The pressure was so dense that it penetrated their soul. It made them involuntarily feel dread creeping up their hearts, reminding them of the sheer gap between them and the so-called 'Strongest Prodigy' of this batch.
"Mn, scary..." Cedric nodded sagely after feeling the pressure coming from the enemy. But it sure as hell looked like he was unaffected by it, causing his teammates to look at him incredulously.
What they didn't know is that Cedric was having a gazing contest with the enemy. It's truly like they're standing face-to-face.
It's not like Cedric was completely unaffected. He was. He could feel that the Thunder Prince was truly way stronger than he is. But this isn't the first time that he faced a seemingly insurmountable challenge. It's basically the story of his life at this point. He's so used to it that it doesn't scare him anymore. It just gives him a sense of familiarity.
Under his watch, the Thunder Prince once again assumed a throwing stance. As soon as he did so, Cedric's lips twitched because he could immediately tell that this wasn't going to be like the lazy throw like previously.
"Brace yourselves. He's going to throw his spear again. This time, he's not holding back." Cedric warned his teammates, causing their hearts to clench.
"Can you stop it like before?" Eunuch Wei asked.
"Unlikely." Cedric shook his head. "He already knew how I countered his previous throw. If he's as formidabble as you say, then he wouldn't stupidly just add more force to his throw. Moreover, that spear of his is prevertedly overpowered. I have no doubts that it's somehow capable of ignoring concept laws."
Cedric didn't feel the need to tell them that the Thunder Prince was already challenging him by doing this. There's no way that he would be lousy on his next throw.
Boom! Crack!
A thunderous explosion shook space and time. The impact nearly caused a spatial turbulence in his immediate surroundings; you can even see webs of cracks in space around the origin of the impact.
The spear flew at a speed that transcended all concept laws. It's like a piercing comet that crashed through any opposition on its way. The force contained in it was too great and wasn't diminishing even after crashing through several things.
Of course, the strongest resistance it faced was the stacked domain of Cedric's team. Backpack Fatty, Morning Wood, and Moss Lady all felt the strain and weight behind the attack. They gritted their teeth and pushed back against it, determined to erode as much of its strength as possible before it inevitably pierces its way inside their domains.
Hawkeye's wings flapped furiously behind her back as she emitted multiple sharp screeches. She called multiple gusts of extremely sharp winds to attack the spear, helping the others push it back. Eunuch Wei wasn't too far behind either. His holy fire torched the spear; he hoped to burn the enchantments in it so that the concept laws could impose their effects on it.
Crack! Ftoom!!!
But their efforts were proven virtually useless. Sure, the spear struggled, but only for a bit. It didn't take long before it punched a hole through the stacked domains and was quickly headed to Backpack Fatty's heart, precisely where the island was kept.
Seeing this, the team moved. Morning Wood roared and summoned multiple trees, vines, and thorns to slow it down. Moss Lady and her kind produced layers of golden barriers around the island to protect it, and Backpack Fatty crossed his gigantic arms to his chest to protect the island. Of course, Hawkeye and Eunuch Wei still continued to do their best to help as well.
Their teamwork was impressive, especially for people coming from different origins. Even though they haven't worked together that much before (it's literally Cedric's first time fighting with them), their coordination was respectable.
Unfortunately, it's not enough.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The spear continued to pierce through opposition like they were paper. The combined efforts of the team were rendered meaningless in front of its overwhelming strength.
Even when Hawkeye and Eunuch Wei unhesitatingly placed themselves in its way, it just effortlessly blew a hole through their bodies, leaving them incapacitated in defeat.
The spear then crashed into Backpack Fatty's arm and drilled its way in them. The poor mountain giant roared in pain and tried to lift his arms to change the trajectory of the spear, preventing it from landing on the island. However, the spear carried way too much force for him to do so. Eventually, it managed to drill through his craggly arms and effortlessly pierce through the barriers that Moss Lady prepared.
Seeing the spear so close to the island filled them with despair. They couldn't help but lament at the sheer disparity between them and the strongest. This was a strong blow to their confidence and their reputation as prodigies.
As the spear continued to pierce its way through the barriers, they already accepted the fact that their road ends here. Yet it was at this time that someone who has been observing all of this for a while finally made a move.
As the spear pierced through the final layer of barrier, it seemingly sped up like it couldn't wait to pulverize the island.
But that's when it was met with Cedric's sword. And to everybody's overwhelming surprise, it was stopped dead in its tracks.